Blaupunkt has ditched the CD in favour for SD on its latest car stereo.

The Melbourne SD27, specifically designed without a CD player for today’s "generation of multimedia savvy consumers" according to Blaupunkt will be "perfect" for drivers who would rather leave the CDs at home.

The front panel features an SD/MMC card slot for direct access to MP3 and WMA files, as well as a convenient Plug & Play input for portable audio players.

Drivers will also be able to get an optional interface module that lets you control your iPod from the radio front panel.

"For more and more people, compact discs have become obsolete", comments Blaupunkt USA General Manager Lutz Marschall. "They buy their music from the Internet, download it to their hard-drive music server, and take it with them on their iPod. The last holdout for many of these consumers is their car radio, which still requires them to burn CD-R's with either audio or MP3 files. The Melbourne is a far better solution for these consumers – no CD required: they just plug in a memory card or portable MP3 player and they're on their way."

The front panel display accommodated up to 127 directories of music, and displays ID3 tag information up to 30 characters in length.

The Blaupunkt Melbourne SD27 includes adjustable bass, treble, and X-Bass EQ functions as well as selectable EQ presets such as rock, pop, or classical music.

The Blaupunkt Melbourne SD27 car radio is currently available at a suggested retail price of $159.95. In the UK it will cost £89.99 including a 1GB SD card.